Updated with videos: Dancing With the Local Stars brings down the house
This year's Dancing With The Local Stars stars, from left, Lynda Clancy (Penobscot Bay Pilot), Piet Lammert (Camden Hills Regional High School), Amy Hand (Camden Public Library), Norm Dalholt (Taylor-Made Builders), Dorothy Foote (Head of the Community School), Anneli Skaar (Skaar Design), Charles Jordan (Rockland Fire Department, Jess Day (Midcoast Music Together) and Will Clayton (City of Rockland). (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Sen. Angus King and Mary Herman King. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
All of Friday's dancers on stage at Strom Auditorium. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Jess Day and Christian Clayton performing a samba to 'Drop It On Me' by Ricky Martin. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Norm Dalholt and Bonny Branch perform a quick-step Charleston/foxtrot/swing to 'I Wanna By Like You' by Andy Cooper. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Atlantic Ballet dancers Emma Gross, Heather Cox, Madalina Lodge, Lily Wetherington, Morgan Knauer, Jane Cummings, Francie Davis and Michele Cox perform 'Snow White and the Huntresses.' (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Atlantic Ballet Company's 'Snow White and the Huntresses' (Photo by Chris Wolf)
DWLS All-Stars Susan Thiem, Jane Dagley, Karen Grove, Nancy Schultz, Charlie Jordan, Marianne Forti, Brook Hartshorn and Julia Libby. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Anneli Skaar, center, performs a salsa to 'Single Ladies' by Beyonce alonside Bonny Branch and Jessica Libby. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
A tribal fusion belly dance performance by Nathifa Shakti and Bellyton to 'Roustabout' by Beats Antique. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Will Clayton performs a salsa/West Coast/hip hop medley with Jessica Libby to 'Thrift Shop' by Mckemore and Ryan. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Dorothy Foote and Community School students at Beautymark Spa in Camden before the performance. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
The Dancing With The Local Stars men at Beautymark Spa, from left, Charles Jordan, Norm Dalholt, Piet Lammert and Will Clayton. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
(Photo by Chris Wolf)
This year's Dancing With The Local Stars stars, from left, Lynda Clancy (Penobscot Bay Pilot), Piet Lammert (Camden Hills Regional High School), Amy Hand (Camden Public Library), Norm Dalholt (Taylor-Made Builders), Dorothy Foote (Head of the Community School), Anneli Skaar (Skaar Design), Charles Jordan (Rockland Fire Department, Jess Day (Midcoast Music Together) and Will Clayton (City of Rockland). (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Sen. Angus King and Mary Herman King. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
All of Friday's dancers on stage at Strom Auditorium. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Jess Day and Christian Clayton performing a samba to 'Drop It On Me' by Ricky Martin. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Norm Dalholt and Bonny Branch perform a quick-step Charleston/foxtrot/swing to 'I Wanna By Like You' by Andy Cooper. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Atlantic Ballet dancers Emma Gross, Heather Cox, Madalina Lodge, Lily Wetherington, Morgan Knauer, Jane Cummings, Francie Davis and Michele Cox perform 'Snow White and the Huntresses.' (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Atlantic Ballet Company's 'Snow White and the Huntresses' (Photo by Chris Wolf)
DWLS All-Stars Susan Thiem, Jane Dagley, Karen Grove, Nancy Schultz, Charlie Jordan, Marianne Forti, Brook Hartshorn and Julia Libby. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Anneli Skaar, center, performs a salsa to 'Single Ladies' by Beyonce alonside Bonny Branch and Jessica Libby. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
A tribal fusion belly dance performance by Nathifa Shakti and Bellyton to 'Roustabout' by Beats Antique. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Will Clayton performs a salsa/West Coast/hip hop medley with Jessica Libby to 'Thrift Shop' by Mckemore and Ryan. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
Dorothy Foote and Community School students at Beautymark Spa in Camden before the performance. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
The Dancing With The Local Stars men at Beautymark Spa, from left, Charles Jordan, Norm Dalholt, Piet Lammert and Will Clayton. (Photo by Chris Wolf)
(Photo by Chris Wolf)
ROCKPORT — The cast was enormous; the crowd was 10 times the number of the cast, but both groups were equally enthusiastic. So began the fifth annual Dancing With Local Stars at Strom Auditorium Friday night, to benefit the Community Schools at Opportunity Farm and Camden. And stars they were. How many chances have you had to see a Rockland mayor bust-a-move to a hip hop beat? How about — never before?
But Mayor Will Clayton's number wasn't the only suprise on, or off, the stage April 26. Special to the evening was U.S. Sen. Angus King and his wife, Mary Herman King, seated in the audience and showing their support to the schools.
“What a great community event,” said King during intermission. “And what Mary and I both commented on was the enthusiasm of the audience and how excited everybody is and it’s just a great feeling in the room. We are fans and we just happened to be here tonight.”
Dottie Foote, executive director for the schools, summed it up this way:
“I am very happy, we had [more than] 700 people in the Strom tonight celebrating the fact that we serve adolescents who are unsuccessful in a traditional high school setting and we provide a very different high school diploma and our community came out to celebrate that. Kids need different pathways through high school. The kids are jazzed, they are so completely jazzed and they are so proud of themselves in the concept of who they are, they got up in front of an audience of 700-750 people and found out who they were, they danced, they are new people tonight.”
Facebook has been jammed all morning — well at least in my circle of friends — with photos and videos of the different acts. The included still photo gallery is just a sampling of the talent that has been working on their routines and moves for weeks, beginning with their trip to the Beautymark Spa yesterday afternoon to their performances last evening. It was a great show and kudos go to the Community School for pulling it off once again.
Videos and photos keep pouring in. Send yours and we'll add them here.
Event Date
Address
United States
